Dana White Says No To B.J. Penn vs. Georges St. Pierre III

Count UFC President Dana White among those who believe that Georges St. Pierre’s corner cheated in St. Pierre’s recent win over B.J. Penn at UFC 94. But White doesn’t believe that implicates St. Pierre.

“Do I think that he got greased,” asked White in a recent conversation with The Canadian Press. “Yeah, I do absolutely one-hundred percent think that that guy was rubbing grease on him. Do I think Georges was trying to cheat? Absolutely not at all, but that (explitive) corner man was rubbing grease on him. You can not do that. You can’t do it. You put another fighter at a huge disadvantage which is very dangerous.

White, who’s reviewed the tape countless times, has come away convinced that while St. Pierre may be innocent, his corner knew exactly what they were doing.

“I think [the cornerman] absolutely, positively knew that he was rubbing grease on him,” White said. “I do. Nobody can tell me different. I watched the tape a million times. I’ve been in this business for so long and you bump into poeople all the time; like Stitch (UFC cornerman) and all these guys, everybody shakes your hand. And when they shake your hand with Vasoline on it, that (explitive) is on your hands until you wash your hands with soap and water. This guy is globbing Vasoline and rubbing it all over [St. Pierre’s] face. Then, he actually rubs his hands around his neck, then down his shoulders and then does the chest and back. You can’t (explitive) touch his body when you have Vasoline on your hands. You can not touch his body. Let somebody else rub him or massage him or carress him or whatever the (explitive) he was doing. You can’t do it. It’s illegal.”

White is also aware of the public perception that St. Pierre’s win may now be viewed as tainted because of the controversy surrounding the illegal use of grease.

“Yeah, it sucks,” White said. “You know what? He didn’t have to (explitive) do it. He didn’t have to put grease on him. Georges St. Pierre was winning the fight. He was dominant in the standup and on the ground. To have a fight or a fighter like St. Pierre tainted over this (explitive) stupidity is… you know, I hate it. It sucks.”

St. Pierre dominated the fight, of this there can be no doubt, but when a fighter has an unfair and illegal advantage over his opponent, it’s difficult to say how the fight may have turned out differently had that advantage not been part of the equation. And there will always be those who question the authenticity of the outcome, and rightly so, based on the absence of an unfair playing field for both fighters, even in the face of such a lopsided affair. Regardless White’s says he’s content to see the fighters stay in their respective weight categories and that he doesn’t want to see a third fight between the two.

“No. No matter what happened with the controversy, I think B.J….who knows,” said White. “He and I haven’t really sat down and talked about it yet but I think it’s pretty obvious he should stay at [lightweight].”